


All the Boys I Fall in Love with Are Straight or Fictional

by snowkatze



Category: Carry On - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Angst, M/M, Soulmate AU, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, baz works in a book shop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-21 03:20:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11348784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowkatze/pseuds/snowkatze
Summary: Fate hasn’t exactly been nice to Baz his whole life. His soulmate might be a criminal. Or an actor. As it turns out, he’s something worse…





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> New chapter every day :)

Baz had always been concerned about what kind of person his soulmate would be. He was scared of meeting him but also looking forward to it. He probably shoudn’t. After all, the sentence engraved on his ankle was:  
  
„ _One more step in that direction and I’m pulling this sword right through you.“_  
  
Maybe it was part of a theatre production. His soulmate might be an actor. He didn’t really want to believe that the sentence was directed to him. Or anyone else, in that matter.  
  
The sentence had been there since his birth; it was the first sentence he would hear his soulmate say.  
  
Baz had concluded that it was best not to think about his soulmate at all, but it was kind of hard when he read about perfect romances and love.  
  
He was sitting behind the counter. There was nice weather outside and people had better things to do than coming into a dusty old book shop. Fiona was out with her friends and she had left Baz sitting in her book shop to do all the work. The problem was: There was no work. No customer could be bothered to pay him a visit.  
  
Baz’ gaze drifted lazily through the store and over the books. Maybe he should just pick one up to pass the time. There was a new book that had arrived just today. Baz pulled it out of the shelf next to him and looked at the cover. A red dragon was painted upon it. He opened it and started to read.

That was the moment when everything started to make sense – and the moment when everything fell apart. Because there it was. The sentence Baz had been thinking about for years. __  
  
No, Baz thought shoked. _It can’t be. Something like that has never happend before._  
  
Still he could read the words clearly.

_‘One more step in that direction and I’m pulling this sword right through you.’_ __  
  
The thief looked at him with mild intrest. The eyes of the golden haired boy shimmered furiously. Nobody was messing with the king’s treasure. Not without being punished. __  
  
'You think you can threaten me with this – stick?’ __  
  
'You’re not invincible just because you’re a fairy.’ __  
  
The fairy thief grinned dirtily.  
  
_'One more step,’ Simon whispered, 'and I’ll kill you.’_

  
Baz shut the book in a quick movement. He couldn’t bare to open it again. That was just impossible. His soulmate coudn’t be a book character. That just wasn’t fair.  
  
Not everybody had a soulmate. Baz felt sad for those who didn’t. But this was pure cruelty. He’d rather have no soulmate at all than a soulmate that wasn’t even real. __  
  
This is what I get, then. This is what I deserve. Dad was right. I’m not worth being loved.  
  
He should put this book away, no, he should burn it. He should never even look at it again.  
  
Baz did none of those things. Instead, he stared at it. Automatically, he picked it up again. The pages were whispering to him, they wanted him to read on. _Baz_ wanted to read it. He coudn’t resist it. Maybe he should take this pain. What choice was left to him? Now that he’d seen it, he coudn’t go back. He coudn’t forget. So he opened the book again. 

  
_'You’re just a servant. Are you really so loyal to the royal family? Come on, boy. Just step away and no one gets hurt.’_  
  
_'I’m not afraid of you. But you should be afraid of me.’_ __  
  
Simon lifted his sword.  
  
'Why are you doing this?’ the fairy asked and this time he sounded frightend. __  
  
'I’m doing it for my mother. She was loyal to the king and she didn’t deserve to die.’ __  
  
'Alright, mate, but no reason to interrupt my gig.’  
  
_'You’re not going to take anything from that treasure.’_ __  
  
'Pal,’ the thief urged. 'You know what they do to thieves who get caught.’  
  
_'I know,’ Simon whispered darkly. 'And you knew it too when you decided to break in here.’_  
  
His name was Simon. _Simon._ Baz did like the sound of that.  
  
_'To thank you for your efforts and for catching this thief, I’m making you a knight of the royal family. You shall serve the empire and your every step shall be made for the greater good.’_  
  
’No, I don’t want to be a knight. I don’t want to fight, _Simon thought. But he knew better than to gainsay._ __  
  
'Yes, Sir,’ he answered. Because that was what the world wanted him to do. And just like that, the simple servant Simon was turned into a hero.  
  
When Baz finished the book, he had tears in his eyes. _Of course. That’s why it’s him. We’re so alike it’s almost scary. He’s made to be the hero, even though he doesn’t want to. He slays dragons. And in the end, he dies a heroic death. I, on the other hand, would be a villain if this would be a book. Because my father made me one, not because I wanted to be._  
  
_When I was five years old, my mother went to get me from kindergarten. She got into a car accident. It was my fault. That’s what my father said._  
  
_I’m gay. Nobody will ever love me. That’s what my father said._  
  
_My soulmate is called Simon Snow. He’s not real. And I deserve it. That’s what my father would say._  
  
_If I was in the book with Simon, I’d be the villain._ _This is how the story goes._  
  
_No. It’s not. I’m not gonna let this beat me. I’m not gonna give up so easily. I don’t accept this fate. You hear me, father? Just this once, I’m saying no._  
  
_The next time, when I read a book about love, I’ll laugh because my boyfriend will be beside me. I’m going to save Simon. I’m sick of being inable to defend myself. I’m sick of sitting down and doing nothing. That’s why I’m going to fight._  
  
_I’m going to write my story, on my very own._


	2. Chapter 2

Baz stood on the steps to a small appartment. In front of him were a few names. He lifted his hand and hesitated for a moment, before he pressed the button beside the name ‘Snow’.

It took so long that Baz started to doubt anyone would show up. Maybe he had a false adress. Maybe the guy just wasn’t home. He didn’t want him to think he was a stalker. Normally 'fans’ showing up at the doorstep of an actor or an athor were considered as creeps. Maybe this was just a bad idea and he should turn away, just forget everything.

 _No, Baz,_ he told himself. _Don’t give up so easily. If he’s not at home, you’re just going to come back tomorrow. And the day after. And if you have to, also the day after that…_

 _Okay. Maybe that_ is _a little creepy. But after all, it would be worth it._

Baz was about to turn around and walk away, when the door suddenly opened. It wasn’t what Baz expected. At all. He had thought of an middle aged man with glasses or something. He hadn’t expected a person that resembled an angel.

He looked sleepy. It was ten o'clock and the guy just blinked at him instead of saying anything. Baz really wanted to. He wanted to make this encounter less awkward than it was but he just kept staring. The guy yawned for a moment. He still wore pyjamas and his curls were messy.

He looked at Baz for a few seconds longer before he suddenly started to frown.

_Shit. You shoud’ve said something. This have been like three minutes of awkward silence, no wonder he wants me to go. But I can’t let that happen. I came here for a reason._

'I just realized that I shoud’ve changed.’

'Ehr… That’s fine.’

'I’m sorry. I was asleep when I heard the bell ring. I thought it was the guy from the post office.’

The guy turned around and shambled into the house. Baz was unsure what to do but the guy left the door to his appartment open, so Baz decided to follow him. The boy could still throw him out.

Silently he closed the door behind him. The home of the boy looked just as the boy himself: Messy. Traces of the guy were left everywhere. It was really _his_ home, not just the home of a random person.

'Are you here because of the rent?’

'No…’

'Then did Gareth send you? Please tell him I need no company, I’m good.’

'Nobody sent me. I’m sorry if my visit is inconvenient to you. I didn’t think you’d still be asleep at this time of the day.’

'Oh, I that’s no problem. I just had a really hard night. And lot’s of coffee.’

'Okay. I…’

Why was it so hard for him to say why he was here? Maybe because it sounded so ridiculous…

'I’m here because of your book. It’s called 'The Broken Dreams of a Dragon Knight’, remember?’

_It’s his book. Of course he remembers. Idiot._

'Ah yeah… That one.’

He smiled as if he remembered something.

 _Merlin,_ Baz thought. _It’s like this guy is out of our world._

'Wasn’t that much of a success, though,’ the blonde added.

'I know. I… didn’t find very much about you on the internet.’

'You read the book, then?’

'Yes. It’s great, it’s… a bit of an issue to me, really.’

'Oh. I’m sorry for that. What is it?’

'It’s about my soulmate. I need your help finding him.’

The gaze of the guy darkened.

'I know nothing about soulmates. Leave me alone with that stuff.’

The poor guy probably didn’t have one. Baz felt an aching pain in his heart.

'I really don’t mean to bother you. But this is important to me.’

'How could I possibly help you with your soulmate?’

Baz kept silent for a moment.

'I know this sounds… odd. But I think my soulmate… is… the character…’

In the end, he just muffled, suddenly embarassed.

'What?’

'The character Simon… in your book. He’s my soulmate.’

Baz lifted his Jeans to show Simon the sentence. He had no idea how Simon would react. But still the boy was a constant surprise to him. He laughed. He really laughed. Did he think Baz was joking? No, it was something else.

'What’s funny?’ Baz demanded angrily.

'It’s just that… This guy I invented. The creation of my mind. He gets to have a better love life than I have. But that’s the thing about stories, isn’t it? The characters get the things we wish to have and that way we feel a little bit better about ourselves. But this… This is just not fair, is it?’

'I take it you don’t have a soulmate, then?’

'Oh, I do. But I have no idea what that sentences is I’m going to hear from her. I… I thought maybe Agatha was my soulmate, but… I clearly wasn’t hers.’

'How do you not know your soulmates sentence?’

He smiled at Baz warily before lifting his trousers and revealed – a prosthesis. How coudn’t Baz have noticed this?

'Got into a car accident when I was little. My parents died then. And I lost the leg my sentence was engraved in. I didn’t care about that bloody thing back then and later there was no one to ask about it anymore. So I’m probably never going to find out who that soulmate of mine is.’

The fate of the boy didn’t seem to be much more shining than his own. Baz felt a moment of empaphy. They had both been betrayed by their destiny.

'I’m sorry,’ Baz whispered.

'Don’t be. What can I help you with?’

'I know a spell… A spell of… dark magic. That way I can get your character out of the book. But the spell requires the author. That’s what I need you for.’

'I’d really like to help you, but…’

'You have work to do. And I know you have no reason to trust me. This was a bad idea. I shoudn’t have come. I really didn’t want to haress you, Mr. Snow.’

'Call me Simon,’ the guy said puzzled.

'You named your character after yourself?’ Baz asked disbelievingly.

Simon shrugged.

'I’m not really a good author. I’m really not going anywhere with my new story. It’s been some time since I’ve left the house… Or talked to people, for that matter. And I could do with some inspiration.’

'Are you saying…?’

'Yes,’ Simon said and gifted him with a lopsided grin. 'I’m helping you.’


	3. Chapter 3

Baz wasn’t really sure whether this would work. He had no idea, actually. He became slightly nervous at the thought of making a road trip with Simon. He couldn’t help but notice that the blonde guy was cute. Like, really cute. He resembled the character from the book. It made sense that Baz liked him. But Simon was obviously straight and not interested. And Baz wasn’t interested either, naturally. He had his own Simon. It was confusing, really. _Simon_ was confusing.

  
Now they were sitting in the car and Baz didn’t know what to say.  
For all Simon knew Baz could be a killer. Baz could drive him anywhere. What if Simon regretted going with him? If it had been the other way round, Baz probably would’ve said he should go mind his own business. He wasn’t really good with people. How would it be when the fictional Simon was with him? Would they get along? _He’s your soulmate. Of course you’re going to get along._

‘You don’t have scones, perchance?’

'No… Why? You want to grab some?’

'Oh, no… don’t bother. I… I just really like scones.’

Simon looked sad and Baz rolled his eyes. He obviously did really want some scones.

'It’s fine. We’ll go to a café. I’ll buy you whatever you want.’

At least that he owed him. Simon’s eyes immediately lit up. Baz got warmer at the thought of making him happy. That was something he rarely felt. Warmth…

Baz carried the book with him. They would need it for the spell. After pulling aside in front of a café, he pulled it out and looked at the pages.

 

_'I’m sorry,’ Simon said. The dragon took a step back._

_'I am incredibly sorry. They leave me no choice. You’re a monster. That’s what they think. There’s no chance in convincing them otherwise. Believe me, I really don’t want to do this.’_

_The dragon shivered and ducked._

_'You can do it. I won’t blame you. If you kill me now, I think it counts as self defense.’_

_The creature turned it’s big head. It looked so frightened, it made Simon’s heart ache._

_'Listen,’ Simon shouted. 'I really don’t want to do this. I hate them for making me do this. Please just end this once and for all. I’m tired, Annalee. I’m so tired of killing things. They made me a murderer. I don’t want to be that. I don’t want this to be my destiny. So please – I beg you – just do it. Kill me.’_

_The dragon didn’t move._

_'I won’t be mad?’ Simon said, unsure what it was that stopped the dragon. But then he sighed. 'I guess you just really are no monster.’_

_And with that, he lifted his sword._

 

He’s made to be the hero of his story. But he’s a hero of cruelty, his heroism is just a mask that the kingdom wants to see. Behind that, he’s forced to murder innocent creatures. And he has no choice. The alternative would be to get killed. It made Baz’ heart hurt.

Then, he closed the book and followed Simon inside the café.

The guy looked at the display with the amazement of a child. He ordered four scones with butter – like, very much butter - and a hot chocolate. Baz took a Pumpkin Mocha Breve.

Back in the car, Simon took a bite of his scone and said: 'Ah, this really is gold.’

Baz smiled a little and then _his_ gaze turned in one of amazement – Simon was truly fascinating.

'So, why didn’t you take any food?’  
'Oh, I… don’t really like eating in front of people.’

Simon frowned at that but he didn’t say anything.

'Can I ask you something?’ Baz said carefully.

'What?’

'Why did you think somebody sent me?’

'Ah, that was just… well, Gareth, a friend of mine, is a little… concerned about me.’

_Well, I’d be concerned too if I had a friend that just goes with a creepy stranger._

'I haven’t exactly been social these past few years. I kind of just spent my time writing. I’m a lot better at writing than talking. And what I write is not really high quality.’

'That’s not true,’ Baz whispers, what he would normally never do. 'Your writing is beautiful.’

Simon just briefly smiled at him before changing the topic.

'So, what are we listening to?’

'Oh,’ Baz blushed. 'I don’t really have anything…’

Simon pulled open the glove compartment.

'Adele?’ Simon exclaimed. 'Taylor Swift? Are you serious?’

'There…’ Baz said, wishing the ground would open and swallow him up. 'There is nothing wrong with that…’

'Aren’t those a little bit… kitschy?’

'It’s romantic, okay?! I only listen to those when I’m sad.’

'Okay, I’m not judging you. Wait a moment.’

Simon grabbed his backpack and rummaged about.

'Ah… Gareth gave me this CD _ages_ ago. Let’s listen to it.’

'Really? The Electric Light Orchestra? Doesn’t sound so good.’

'This is _classic._ ’

Classic? Baz thought about his violin for a moment but he guessed that wasn’t the classic Simon was talking about.

A minute later Baz turned up the volume and Simon was shouting the lyrics of _Mr Blue Sky_ as they were driving on the highway. He let go of the wheel for a moment to show Simon his best impression of an air guitar.

'You are _born_ to be a rocker, Baz,’ Simon said smiling.

'Actually, I’m more of a violin player.’

'What?’ Simon shouted over the music. 'That’s so cool. I’d really like to hear that some time.’

And Baz would really like to play for him too.

 

It took seven hours of driving and 697 kilometers for Baz to fall in love with Simon. He just didn’t realize it.


	4. Chapter 4

It was evening when Simon and Baz arrived at the castle that looked like it was on fire in the sunlight. Perfect, thought Baz. Fire fits well. He was good with fire.

Simon’s thoughts were racing, he didn’t even notice. As he walked alongside Baz towards the gate, he wondered whether he had made the right desicion. But Baz’ company just felt right somehow. Something inside Simon seemed to be lighted on fire – something Simon had doubted still existed. It was a long time ago that he had felt something like that. Baz made him feel alive again. Simon had gone through a hard time these past months, years even. After Agatha had left him, all that had been left to him had been the writing. So he had locked himself away, shut himself out, so what the hell was he doing with that stranger that with the passing time didn’t seem so strange anymore? Why had he felt familarity the first time he’d seen him? What was it that kept pushing him towards the other?

Really, Simon knew the answer but he didn’t want to think about it. Simon was good at not thinking about things. So he just pushed the thoughts away and followed Baz into the castle.

‘Black magic is centric in Watford. This is the place where the spell is most likely to work. There are some chambers in the basement no one knows of, at least no one I know of.’  
They paced down the stairs, always paying attention no one saw them.

Black magic is illegal. Why the hell am I helping him?

Simon was aware how irresponsible he was behaving but there was something that stopped him from retreating. He should be worried about that. He wasn’t.

On the other hand, considering it was a spell of black magic, the spell wasn’t even that hardcore in sacrifices. It was very simple, actually. Not many people knew of it, therefore it couldn’t be abused by people.

Baz got out a key – who knows where he got that from – and opened the door to reveal a fire place in the middle of a painted pentagram.

'I- I’ll need your blood,’ Baz whispered, suddenly nervous. He took a little knife out of a pouch. With a quick spell, Baz lit the fire and he took out a few pages of Simons book. A moment Simon was unsure if he should do it but then he glanced at Baz and realized that for Baz he could to a lot of things. Some of them scared him. You know this guy for one day. Don’t you think that’s a little creepy? But he felt safe with Baz. Like he could trust him. So he took the knife and cut his forearm. Blood dropped on the pages.

Baz threw them into the fire and then he said the words that should change everything: ’Wherever they burn books, in the end will also burn people.’

There was a loud crash and then – nothing. Baz’ heart started racing and the nervousness crept up in him again. Did it work? And if so, was he now about to meet the boy he had read about? Did he even still want to? Were did that thought come from? He had been so certain when he read the book, what was different now? Simon Snow.

In a moment, Baz would open his eyes and everything would change. In a moment, his whole life would turn around.

Because when he opened his eyes there was – nobody. Not the Simon from the book, not the author. And Baz shouted his name. He shouted it many times, loudly. He shouted so long until he cried and broke down.

In front of him laid the book. It was unharmed. Slowly Baz fingers reached out for it and opened it.

 

'One more step in that direction and I’m pulling this sword right through you.’

Those were the words Simon said, when he and the thief heard a loud crash. They both jumped back. Suddenly there was a young man sitting in front of them. His hair was a blonde mess and he looked as frightend as a young deer hearing the shots of a hunter.

'Where am I?’ he whispered.

 

'No!’ Baz screamed. 'It can’t be! It just- it can’t!’

How much guilt can one bear? How much pain can one endure?

Baz was almost too scared to read on but he had to be brave.

 

Simon raised his sword, uncertain whether the boy was a threat. Maybe he was a thief, too.

'Baz? Where are you? Is… You! You are Simon. You are the boy from my book. Did it work? Are you real?’

'I have no idea what the heck you are talking about, mate,’ the thief said. 'But I’ve got to go.’

With that, he turned to run away, but the boy grabbed him by his collar.

'You can’t,’ he said. 'You’re important for this story-’

Then realization dawned to him. 'Oh shit.’

He looked down and saw that his legs were both flesh and bone. 'This can’t be happening.’

 

Tears were running down Baz’ face. This was his fault. He should never have made that attempt. He knew that black magic couldn’t be trusted. Someone had given him the wrong spell. It was a spell that pulled people into stories, not the other way round.

Are you crazy? How could you believe there was a way to get a damn fictional character out of a book? It’s just imagination. Real people – those are the ones that matter. Simon matters. Crowley, what have I done?

 

'I must be dreaming,’ the boy said. Simon directed his sword once again at the thief. It seemed the boy was harmless.

'Rest assured, this is far from a dream. This bloody thief wanted to steal the king’s treasure. I am here to stop him.’

'Wow,’ the boy breathed. 'It’s actually pretty cool to meet you in real life.’

Simon frowned at these words but he didn’t say anything. The boy moved his feet slowly.

'This is freaking crazy,’ he said exitedly. 'I can actually move my legs.’

He started to run and jump. Simon didn’t pay much attention to him anymore.

'Wait,’ the boy said. 'Does this mean-’

Carefully, he lifted the trousers to reveal the ankle that had been lost in the car accident. And really, there they were. The words his soulmate was going to say to him. Only the had already been said. This morning, to be accurate.

'That’s fine.’

It were words Simon had heard often but never had they been the first words he had heard from someone… Until Baz Pitch rang at his door.

 

'Aleister Crowley, this can’t be happening,’ Baz cried. How could he have been so stupid? A fictional soulmate? That’s bloody ridiculous. The sentence on his ankle had been the first words he had ever witnessed from Simon Snow. It all made sense now.

 

So this is how the story goes.


	5. Chapter 5

Baz sat on the cold ground. Maybe he shouldn’t read on, but he couldn’t resist it. What had he done? It was all his fault. If only he hadn’t been so eager to find his soulmate, everything could’ve turned out differently. Simon Snow would still be alive.

And oh, what a beautiful boy he was. He kept his head up. He tried to put everything right that he had written. He tried to save lives.

_Oh Simon,_ Baz thought. _They’re not even real. But you. You are._

How was the story going to end?

 

_We’re running our whole lives from the unavoidable. We’re running from our destiny. And we never ask why. What’s so frightening on the other side that we can’t bear to go there? I don’t want to be afraid anymore._

 

_There was a time when we weren’t born. There was nothingness. We’ve all been there before. It’s just time to go back._

_I am going_ now _. There’s only so much time that’s promised to us and my time is up. Why keep running? I want to put myself to rest. It’s peaceful. It’s like going to sleep and never waking up._

 

_I’m not afraid anymore, Basilton Grimm-Pitch. You shouldn’t be either. Bear in mind, my old friend, this isn’t your fault. Maybe it’s not even something to be sorry for._

_What’s the point in running? Our whole time here is meaningless. There is no happy ending. There’s just so little time we get and we’re gonna make the best we can. We did, didn’t we?_

 

_I’m so glad I met you, Baz Pitch. Don’t be sad, my old friend, everything must come to an end some day. Every story ends. Ours ends now. The story of Simon Snow and Basilton Pitch._

 

_You don’t need to be scared, love. I know you are. I know you are afraid as you see just how many words of this story are left. Don’t be. I’m glad this was my story to tell. I’m glad I wrote this book a long time ago and you read it. I’m glad my sentence was on your ankle._

 

_Don’t be afraid, love. We’ve been there before. I’m just going home. It’s been a very, very long day, and I’m finally going_ home _._

 

„ _You never got the chance to say those words, Baz Pitch,“ I whisper. „I’m going to say them now. You are the hero of this story, not the villain. And… I… I love…”_

 

_The End_

 

Baz was screaming internally. Maybe he was really screaming. He didn’t know, he didn’t care.

_WHY? WHY? WHY DID YOU DO THAT, SIMON SNOW? WHY DID YOU SACRIFICE YOURSELF FOR YOUR OWN MAIN CHARACTER? WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME? NO NO NO PLEASE COME BACK_

And he kept screaming. He was in agony. All he could feel was pain. Maybe he hadn’t known Simon for long but he knew that if he did, he would’ve loved him. Very, very much.

He turned the page and there were the last pieces of Simon.

 

_Afterword_

 

_I made it. I wrote a fairy tale. I can’t even believe it. Thank you, dear reader, for making this possible. I didn’t even want to be a writer. It just came to me somehow, whispering, you gotta tell them, your stories. So here it is._

_Writing this piece has helped me in a lot of ways. It helped me move onward. Also, I have a feeling that something big is going to happen with this. I just don’t know what._

_One thing I do know, though, is that I am waiting for something, and I shouldn’t be. I shouldn’t be inside all day, writing. Because I have my own story to live. We all have._

 

_It’s your turn now. Write your own story. Because life is more than this._

 

_Love, Simon Snow_

 

_**All the Boys I Fall in Love with Are Dead** _

 

Baz wore a black suit. He was cold but it didn’t matter. The grave was still fresh. He had waited until the girl with the colorful hair had finally left. She had cried for him. He wasn’t crying anymore. He couldn’t bear to look at her because he knew that it was him who had taken Simon from her. There was nothing in the grave but a book.

They didn’t know that. They didn’t know how much more real stories are than they think. They don’t understand how much stories mean to some people.

And how could he carry on? After all that had happened? The only thing giving him strength had been Simon’s words. He knew them by heart. Simon had been talking to him all the time.

_Don’t give up._

So he didn’t. He didn’t end his story. He’d have to start living it. Because he’d promised. He’d stop hiding between his books. He’d go out there in the real world even though it was big and scary. He’d make his own adventures and he’d go and see the world and meet people.

Because stories are life. And because he’d promised. This was the only thing he could do. He looked at the grave stone one last time before turning to go.

 

_For Simon Snow._


End file.
